Improvement in signal-telegraphs



H. l. ROGERS.

Telegraphic Signal.

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Patented Sept. 27, 1844.

H! LROGERS. l 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

Telegraphic Signal.-

Patented Sepf. 27, 1844.

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HENRY l. ROGERS, Uh lA'll'ilMUltltl, lllAlt .YLANJL IMPROVEMENT iN Si@ial/llwli'i?.LGFlAPl-lSl Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. g, dated Sel'rlember 737, ISM.

To a/ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY I. Roenes, of Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented a new and useful Improvement in 'lelegraphic Communications to be Used on Land o1' Atloat, which I denominate the American Semaphore; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact deseription thereof, reference being had to the aecompanying drawings, which form a part of said description, in which- Figure 1, Plate l, is a vertical elevation. Fig. 2 is a vertical section; Fig. 3, a plan of house; Figs. 4C and 5, lamp for telegraphic purposes, and Plate 2 signal-flags.

The nature of my invention consists in the combination of series of balls, a row ol which are placed in a line which I prefer should be Vertical, as numerators, and moving other balls in parallel lines therewith that are decilnally arranged for denominators by means of. chains or other analogous eontrivanees, as hereinafter described. This is for land service or sea service; or for sea service the signal-ags are used. The system for denoting the letters of the alphabet by one sign for each is new, and may be applied to other systems of telegraph.

The construction for land service is as fol.- lows: A suitable telegraph-house d., Figs. l and 2, is erected, in the center ot' which there is a mast l), that projects up through the root about sixty feet in height, more or less. '..io this is attached a horizontal yard c, near the top, suspended to which on each side are three pulleys d. There are rods c', extending down from the yard-arm to the house, one on each side of each of the pulleys, on which slide up and down disks or lamps for day or night signals. The pulley next the mast ou one side, or any other pulley most convenient, has a chain passing up over it, to which are attached a series ol disks above namedfive in number and marked fin the drawings-Which I call ni'imerators.7 By means ot short chains these numerators are kept a distance apart equal to their diameter, which on the scale of the drawings would be about three feet when in operation; but they can all be lowered down inside the house, Where they can rest on each other to pack closer. When hoisted into the position as shown in the drawings, the first disk I count as one,

the first space between the .first and second disk I count two, the second disk three, the second space four, the third disk ve, itc., forming signs for the numerals from l to Il). There are chains passing over the other live pulleys d., to each ot' which one disk c is attached, termed the denominator." The other end of the chain has a counter-weight aillixed to it to balance it. 'lhese weights descend in the tubes g, andare not shown in the drawings. The chains to operate the denominators are about eighty-three feet in length andare made ot links of wire. A portion ot'l one of these chains is shown in liig. U, in which there is shown a solid link with B2 on it. Links of: this kind are placed along the chain at intervals equal to the distance from center to center of the disks, and are so adjusted as when brought to a pin or hook on the erossbeam inside the house te indicate the position of the disk, the solid links being numbered accord i ngto the numerals indicated by the disks f and spaces above named, The tirst disk c on the left denotes units, the second tens, the fourth hundreds, the iifth thousands, the sixth or righ t-hand one tens of thousands.

It will be obvious that there can be added to this an indefinite number, but -for all or dinary purposes I deem these sufficient, as with them one hundred thousand signals can be made, or the same number of dillerent Words or sentences communicated. An ex ample of this mode is given in the drawings for illustration, 'in which the number 92,5r'l is displayed, the denominator to the right, or l.0,000,is opposite the space between the fourth and 'lilfth disk. In Athe numerator, which. counts eight, the next or thousand. denomi nator is opposite two. Of the numerator the disk hu ndi-ed. is at live, the ten at si x, and the unit at three. lesides this certain arbitrary signals may be used, a.' shown. :in espia-na tien aeeompan ying the drz'twings.

It' this system. is used at sca, I prefer to substitute balls made of light iron ti'ameri'mh covered with eau \fas,and at night luso lights instead et the black disks. Y

My system et signal-linge is shown in llatc Those from one to ninearc termed. numerators," those indicating units, tens, tte., are denominators. `When these are hoisted alone,

they are oi' no numerical Valve; when hoisted with a numerator they count according to the value multiplied by that of the denominator.

The first numerator is square and ol' one color,

White, half blue; the eighth is a horizontal.

white stripe between two of blue; the ninth, quartered blue and white. lhe units-flag is White with a round blue spot in its center; the tens is a blue flag with a White spot; the hundreds, blue with two White spots; the thousands, blue with three White spots; the tens of thousands, blue with four white spots. The form of these is square. rlhere are also a set of duplicate or repeating 'lags, which are of triangular form. They are for the purpose of denoting a repetition of the nu merator-as, for example, if the number 9,999 is wanted, the numerator 9 should be hoisted, and with it the first, second, third, and fourth duplicate iiags. The first of these liags is all red; the second, halt` White and half red, divided vertically; the third has a white stripe vertically between the two red; the fourth is quartered diamond fashion red and white. The system of use of these lia-gs is on pre* eisely the same principle as the disks before named, being divided into numerators and denominators with the addition ot the duplientes, which are not required with the disks.

A very importantpoint in my system is us ing only one signal or sign for leach letter. All the methods heretofore adopted require two or more signs for all the letters above the ninth. I commence with the denominator tens and run it u p from ten to ninety for the lirst nine let-ters. I then, instead of making a compound number by a combination of two denominators, use the denominator hundreds and carry it to nine hundred for the next nine, and then take the denominator thousands to finish the alphabet. This is illustrated. by the explanation on drawings.

,Having thus :fully described the construction of my apparatus and the system of telegraphing thereby, what I claim therein as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

l. ,lhe combination and arrangement ol' signal disks or lanterns in the manner and for the purpose substantially as herein set forth.

9. 'lhe method of signaling the alphabet, as herein set forth, so as only to use one sign for each letter of the alphabet by means ot a decimal progression.

3. The system of flags above specified that is to say, the combination oi' numeral and decimal or denominator flags, combined and applied in the manner set forth.

l'l'ENRY l'. ROGERS. Witnesses:

riN'rI-r Y. Murrina' narnia.: n, E. F. Knnns, 

